But then I realized this week, with growing amounts of horror, that the majority of my coworkers were planning to dress as they would on any other workday. Any other workday. I’m at a health tech start-up, so I’m talking lots of flannel, graphic t-shirts, Converses, and joggers.

On a normal day, these are clothing items I can happily get behind, but on what may very well be the most fabulous workday of the year?! Devastating!

I’m all about pushing the envelope, fashion-wise, but even I can’t over-dress two standard deviations above the fashion formality norm. If plaid and sweaters were going to be the baseline, I certainly couldn’t bust out the lush red velvet gown that I was planning on wearing.

Enter This Dress.

Work appropriate, classy enough to satisfy my dress-up cravings, and absolutely gorgeous. I tend to love most of the French Connection finds I happen upon in my favorite department store, Lord & Taylor, but this one in particular caught my eye like no other. The cut is immensely flattering, the colors are rich, and while it’s free of the embroidery, lace, and velvet I was so deeply hoping to wear at our holiday party, it still makes a lovely statement.

To ensure no one would accuse me of not dressing up after I hyped up my dress-up desires for so long, I paired it with these affordable BCBGeneration heels, which make the classic Valentino Rockstud style attainable for those of us who aren’t yet able to drop a thousand dollars on a pair of heels. (One day! *shakes fist*) They are surprisingly not uncomfortable to walk in, look stunning in person, and are easily confused with the real deal! (I have coworkers who own actual Valentinos and even they thought I was wearing a pair!)

It’s likely your first impressions of me based on this blog are that I’m a Halloween fanatic, and… you’re absolutely right! In this post, I’d like to show you my attempt at the morbid magnificence of Wednesday Addams.

Truthfully, my personality is the polar opposite of Wednesday’s; I am the type of overtly chipper, naive bringer of optimism that people like Wednesday would incinerate with a single glare.

An attempt to recreate said glare while showing off these awesome cuffs

However, in the process of wearing Wednesday’s staple uniform (and her deadly gaze in hopes that no one would confuse me with a Pilgrim), I found myself adopting her personality in some ways.

Wednesday’s don’t smile; they smirk.

No, I wasn’t overcome with homicidal rage or deadly cynicism, but I found myself feeling a certain resilience and strength in character. I wore this to work on a Friday to an office of 60+ employees, all of whom were not in costume, and I felt perfectly comfortable in my skin.

Dare to Who?

Hi there! I'm Dax -- a mathematician, fashionista, puppy enthusiast, and friend. I started this endeavor for 3 reasons: to encourage others to live (and dress) outside the box, to add some color to the predominantly white fashion landscape, and to be my best self.

Never apologize for being yourself -- everyone should dare to be their best self! That's why I'm here, daring to Dax. I hope you'll dare with me.